


American Ravens

by aquarian_sunchild



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - America, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Race Changes, Racism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29590470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquarian_sunchild/pseuds/aquarian_sunchild
Summary: So apparently Netflix chose to use the word 'thug' when Yahaba is describing Tanaka in S1ep6. Boy howdy, does the usage  of 'thug' to describe a character hit different when you're a black American. This fic emerged as a response to that.Chapter 1: The Carson Ravens haven't played against the Blue Fort Royals in a while, but it seems their reputation already precedes them...or a reputation of some sort, anyway.





	American Ravens

The blustery weather outside turned the school corridor into a wind tunnel, blowing Yutaro and Shigeru’s Blue Fort Royals team jackets around them like storm-beaten sails. It wasn’t exactly the most opportune location for a conversation, but something had been sitting in the back of Shigeru’s mind for a while…

“Isn’t your King friend on this team that Coach has us playing today?”

Yutaro’s eyebrows perked upwards in interest, no longer focused on the dancing leaves in the parking lot. “The Carson Crows? Yeah, I think that’s where he ended up.”

“Dude. Ravens. They’re Ravens now. You never heard about all that debate over their team name a few years ago? The name ‘Crows’ has too much...I dunno, like...bad history behind it.”

Yutaro shrugged. “Their name can change to whatever, but I don't think anything would change The King of the Court. I mean, his skills were seriously next level, but he had no concept of teamwork whatsoever. He’s probably just an annoyance to his new team.”

Shigeru huffed in amusement. “I remember some of the other Carson guys from last year. Definitely an interesting team. You should see this one dude. Straight-up thug, right? Shaved head, glaring eyes, like he rolled right out of a rap video. I mean obviously he was…”

“BLACK? WAS HE BLACK? SOUNDS LIKE HE WAS BLACK!”

Yutaro and Shigeru both jumped at the same time like something out of an old cartoon. What, was the Carson thug just waiting for them? Was this going to turn into a fight? A _bad_ fight? And Shigeru had _just_ gotten word of that sports scholarship! 

Shigeru waved his hands in an attempt to fan away the bubbling tension. "It--it wasn't a race thing, honest!"

The Carson Thug scoffed. He clearly wasn’t buying it . “I wouldn’t talk too much smack about me or my team, little Royals." He smiled toothily. “You know how ravens deal with dead meat.” Thug Dude enunciated the end of his sentence with the finesse of a stage performer, and the crowd of towering black jackets that gathered behind him seemed to be following an unspoken cue.

A smaller Raven emerged from the huddle, a similar unsettling smile on his face. “Yeah, man. Who you tryin’ to get crazy with, ese? Don’t you know we locooooo?” 

Shigeru managed to hear one thing over the din of his own rushing heartbeat. Seriously, was there an actual raven out there calling somewhere? Did these guys freakin’ _rehearse_ this whole thing or---

“RAY TERRANCE! CHUY NOYOLA! HOW DID YOU TWO GET OUT OF MY SIGHT?”

Ray Terrance, who Shigeru had previously considered ‘the thug from a rap video’, suddenly looked like a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar. Was that his actual _dad_ calling him?

“Man, DeShaun! I wasn’t doing anything! And even if I was doing something, they started it!” DeShaun, who was apparently a fellow high schooler with a voice that even made Yutaro and Shigeru feel like they were in trouble, grabbed Ray and Chuy by the tops of their heads and forced them into apologetic bows. “I am so, so sorry about these idiots, guys. One thinks he’s Samuel L Jackson, and the other thinks he’s a cholo. They’re just idiots.”

“I didn’t even get to my ‘nevermore’ bit yet,” Ray grumbled, before DeShaun pushed his head down further. Poor guy was almost kissing his own knees.

DeShaun smiled over Ray’s resistance as sincerely as he could. “We’re looking forward to the game. Thank you for having us.” Having hopefully mended a metaphorical fence with Shigeru and Yutaro, DeShaun hustled the rest of his team away, shouting something about pre-game diving drills as punishment. A pint-sized redhead turned before the Carson Ravens vanished into a doorway, his tongue hanging from his snarling mouth. 

“Nevermore, Royals!”  
“Shut _up_ , Shoyo.”  
“Sorry DeShaun.” 

And that.  
Was apparently that.

Shigeru and Yutaro stood on the now silent sidewalk, still trying to process the chaos they had just witnessed.  
“Like I said,” Shigeru offered to his dumbstruck teammate, “an interesting team.”

**Author's Note:**

> So! To explain the AU name changes as briefly as possible:  
> -Given names and family names were reversed to reflect Western norms  
> -Tanaka Ryūnosuke is now presented as Ray Terrance, Yū Nishinoya as Chuy Noyola, and Daichi as DeShaun.  
> -Aoba Johsai roughly translates to 'Blue Castle', and since castles aren't really a thing in the US, I made them Blue Fort Royals. Yeah.
> 
> One of the major themes of Haikyuu is perception, self-image and how it all impacts our behavior. This makes it perfect for a race-bent reinterpretation. There's a few other characters I've thought about bringing into this Alternate Universe, but first I'd like to gauge y'all's reaction to this piece before I continue. Please drop a kudo or comment to let me know what you think?


End file.
